For The Players

Doom – A Franchise That Never Dies

If you call yourself a gamer and haven’t played a Doom title; shame on you. The franchise has officially been around since 1993, and had more entries than the average gun wielder could shake a stick at. Of course, the insane fast paced run and gun action won over audiences immediately back in the day, and new critically acclaimed iterations have been put out regularly since then. Well, mostly critically acclaimed.

Of course, the franchise has also not been without its controversy. Soaked in blood, celebrating violence, and even riddled with satanic imagery, more than a few conservatives have had ill things to say. But that hasn’t stopped the Doom fan base from rapidly expanding, and likewise reaching for their shotguns each time a new franchise entry graced the gaming landscape.

More astonishing of all; even the latest releases, more than 20 years after the original, have somehow managed to keep evolving the genre.

Programming Genius

John Carmack and John Romero are largely credited for the original 1993 Doom. They managed to achieve what few other developers were even dreaming of at the time, turning a 2D landscape into something that seemed 3D. Keep in mind, this was back when online real money pokies games weren’t even a concept, never mind hellish landscapes brought to life in a three dimensional illusion.

What the original team at id Software did was nothing short of genius, and going back and playing the original Doom may just defy your expectations. Yes, obviously Doom was genre defining, with far reaching impact that is felt to this very day.

Doom Eternal – id Do It Again

Doom Eternal, the latest entry, is upon us. Astonishingly, the game is once again managing to redefine the genre. It has been heaped with praise, and even being referred to as one of the best shooters ever made.

Hundreds, or even thousands of shooters have been released since Doom 1993, but it took the company that literally created the genre to once again show other studios how it’s done. Of course, John Carmack and John Romero are no longer at the studio, but apparently the spirit of being ground-breaking still exists at id Software.

Pure Mayhem

But what is it that makes Doom Eternal a standout creation in 2020? Simply put; the game remembered what made the original great. When Doom 1993 came out, there was no sense of realism, no need to be grounded in reality, and the focus was 100% on having blood soaked fun.

Shooters since have added reloading, taking cover, and other such elements in order to embrace realism. Doom, simply put, was never concerned about realism, and that was a primary factor for the initial appeal.

If you haven’t already guessed, Doom Eternal does not have reloading. Instead it is firmly focused on keeping the action constant, the player screaming with adrenalin, and the gore satisfying. Who would have guessed that it would take so long for developers to remember the elements of a good shooter?